


Destiny

by SilentSiren47 (Valonia)



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-15
Updated: 2009-11-15
Packaged: 2017-10-02 23:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valonia/pseuds/SilentSiren47
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His future was already written on the day he was born, in ways that Lilly's never was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Destiny

His future was already written on the day he was born, in ways that Lilly's never was. Demands on a prince were different than those on a princess, regardless of age. Duncan was to be strong and smart, brave and true, a worthy heir in every way. Lilly was to be beautiful, and her destiny ended there. He curses his parents for forgetting to write Lilly's future. How else could a blank slate end but tragically?

He blames his father as much as his mother. For every missing golden retriever and scapegoating accusation, there was a new credit card, "just because," or a kiss on the forehead and the reassurance that grades weren't important. As Duncan learned to be politician material, Lilly was self-taught in the art of scandal. The confirmation that Lilly's recklessness led to her downfall only reinforces Duncan's bitterness. He refuses to place blame on her, refuses to dismiss her murder as others have done.

Duncan sits on the courthouse steps, ignoring the reporters that swoop by. They peer at his face but do not recognize him. Their logic tells them that anyone worth interviewing remains inside the courtroom, and they leave him alone. Duncan gazes at the trees across the street.

Lilly was always the ringleader, from when they were very young until the day she died. She chose Duncan's friends, chose his girlfriend, told him where to go and what to do. Throughout all her schemes and plots, he was never put in any real danger. Lilly would always be the one who climbed the fence or broke the window glass, the one who stole the liquor from the cabinet. She claimed that these were the fun parts, but Duncan knew that she was protecting him. Without Duncan, Lilly would be alone, defenseless against their mother. Without Lilly, Duncan is simply lost.

He began to see her immediately after her death. He let the medication blur her image and silence her voice, but he could still feel her watching. After the night with Veronica, he caught a glimpse of her. He took a double dose of antidepressants that morning, imagining her disgust. He let the medication guide him in place of Lilly, and retreated into the gentle haze his life had become.

The crowd outside the courthouse begins to buzz. Duncan ignores their chatter as they mill around him. He shifts his position slightly and stretches out his legs.

The second time he went off the antidepressants, he did it gradually, letting Lilly reappear bit by bit, still blurred and silent at first, but becoming distinct. He misses her now. He misses his hallucination as much as he misses his sister, inside her body, breathing and smirking at him. Before she left him, he could feel her hold him, the way she used to when he was sad or she was lonely. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, and he felt the press of her lips, the sensation alien with no temperature attached. She winked at him before disappearing. Duncan cried then, and begged her to come back, but he knew he was alone.

The reporters are getting ready to go on the air, fluffing their hair and adjusting their microphones. They speak to the camera, announcing the outcome of the trial, but Duncan doesn't hear the words. They are pointless, useless, meaningless. He stands as the doors of the courthouse swing open. Duncan holds his arm steady when Aaron Echolls emerges. He stands perfectly still and feels the weight in his hand. Duncan is beyond hearing the screams around him, and as the gun in his hand fires, he feels utterly at peace.


End file.
